Pink and White Terrace pieces sell for $64,000

Two pieces of the Pink and White Terraces that were collected by a teenager whose family died a year later when Mt Tarawera erupted have been sold at auction. The specimens were bought for $64,000 by a private buyer at an art auction in Auckland. The buyer has confirmed the pieces will stay in New Zealand but did not want his identity revealed. International Art Centre director Richard Thomson said the specimens were collected by 15-year-old Ina Haszard, who lost most of her family when Mt Tarawera erupted in 1886 burying the terraces forever. A painting by Haszard was also included in the auction lot along with a 1944 newspaper account of the eruption, a collection of 12 photographs of the terraces and a collection of colour lithographs. Thomson said the two specimens were rare and had attracted interest from around the world. "“It was one of the most sought after things I have ever sold. I have never, ever had so much interest in one particular lot. These are New Zealand’s Titanic." Before the eruption the terraces drew tourists from around the world and were one of New Zealand's premier tourist attractions. They were thought to have been destroyed by the eruption but last year scientists found parts of the pink terraces below the surface of Lake Rotomahana. The white terraces were found several months later.